Cantilever rack

ABSTRACT

A rack structure having a horizontal cantilever arm which is adapted for rapid positioning on a vertical standard. The construction of the arm is such that it can be snapped into place on the standard without requiring any tools or fasteners.

United States Patent 1 1] Konstant Dec. 117, 1974 1 CANTILEVER RACK3,088,424 5/1963 Knuth 248/243 x 3,136,520 6 1964 R 248 243 [75]Inventor: Amhony Konstant, Prospect 3,369,789 2/1968 248/245 3,489,2911/1970 Frazier 1 211/176 Assigneez Speedrack I Skokie 3,726,414 4/1973K011513111 211/148 [22] Filed: lune I972 Primary ExaminerJ. FranklinFoss [21] Appl, No.1 264,784 Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Fitch, Even,Tabin &

Luedeka [52] US. Cl 248/243, 108/108, 211/148 [51] Int. Cl. A47b 96/12,A47f 5/01, A47f 5/16 ABSTRACT [58] rg figg i d d g 2411246; A rackstructure having a horizontal cantilever arm l l l7 134 which is adaptedfor rapid positioning on a vertical 56 R f standard, The construction ofthe arm is such that it 1 e erences can be snapped into place on thestandard without re- UNITED STATES PATENTS quiring any tools orfasteners. 723,677 3/1903 Kade 248/245 1,698,974 1/1929 Vance 248/234 ux9 Clams, 6 Drawmg f CANTILEVER RACK proved cantilever rack structure. Afurther object is to' provide an improved arm assembly fora cantileverrack. Another object is to provide an improved cantilever rack whereinthe support arms can be attached without the use of additional parts.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a cantilever rackstructure incorporating various features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view, partially in cross section, taken generallyalong line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view, enlarged in size, showing thestructure of FIG. 1 as the; cantilever arm is in the initial stage ofattachment;

FIG. 5 is a view taken generally along line 55 of FIG. 3 showing a laterstage of the attachment than that shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary exploded view of an alternate embodiment of acantilever rack structure.

Very generally, a cantilever rack structure 11 is shown in FIG. 1 whichincludes a horizontal base 13 which supports a column or standard 15 inan upright position upon which column is mounted one or more horizontalcantilever arms 17. The cantilever arm 17 includes two elongated tubularmembers 19 and 21, to the inner ends of which are affixed a pair ofrighthand and lefthand brackets 25 and 27, respectively. The elongatedtubular members 19,21 are joined in the region generally adjacent theouter ends thereof, as by lines of weld 23, and they are'unconnectedadjacent their inner ends. Thus, the brackets 25,27 may be resilie'ntlyspread apart under force to an open condition in order to attach thecantilever arm 17 in desired position on the vertical standard 15. Whenthe arm 17 is in its desired erected position, the bracket-carrying endsof the tubular members 19,21 are allowed to snap back together,completing the attachment. In the illustrated embodiment, the brackets25,27 circumscribe a portion of the standard 15 and effectively transferthe load from the cantilever arm 17 to the standard.

More particularly, the base 13 is provided with an upstanding tubularsleeve portion 29 which is adapted to receive the lower end of thestandard 15 and support the standard in an upstanding position. Thesleeve 29 has a rectangular interior opening that is proportioned toreceive and fit closely about a portion of the periphery of the standard15.

The illustrated standard 15 may be thought of as comprising a pair ofopposed C-shaped channel portions 33 and 35 interconnected by webmembers 37, so that the cross section of the standard has the outline ofan I. Each channel portion furnishes a mounting surface for thebracket-carrying cantilever arms 17. Usually, a plurality of cantileverarms 17 will be mounted on the forward channel portion 33 and on therear channel portion 35 so that the arms extend forward and rearwardfrom the standard in opposite directions. In many instances, twocantilever arms 17 will be mounted at the same horizontal level.

The front C-shaped channel portion 33 includes a front wall 39, a rightsidewall 4 l,a left sidewall 43, and

right 45 and left 47 rear re-entrant walls which extend from eachsidewall, respectively, in the same direction as the front wall 39extends. The right rear re-entrant wall 45 of the channel portion 33(and the corresponding wall of the channel portion 35) is provided witha series of apertures 49 disposed in vertical alignment with one anotherand spaced a predetermined distance apart.

The two elongated members 19 and 21 should be each generally tubular inshape, as other structural shapes can result in the creation of torsionforces upon loading thatv will spread the unconnected bracketcarryingends of the elongated members and cause detachment and/or falling of thecantilever arms 17. The elongated members 19,21 are preferably steeltubes which are rigidly affixed to 'each other at a location generallyadjacent the outer ends thereof by spaced lines of weld 23a,23b or bysome other suitable method of joinder, thereby causing the members tonormally lie I in contiguous relationship along their entire lengths.

The distance D (FIG. 3).over which the joinder is effected will varydepending'upon the length of the members 19 and 21, the size and shapethereof, the weight the bracket-carrying ends to be spread apart withthe application of reasonable force, while the joinder over a finitedistance D should provide sufficient residual biasing force in the arm17 that the elongated members 19,21 will snap to their contiguousarrangement as soon as the spreading force is removed. Usually themembers 19,21 willbe unconnected for a distance of at least about 20 to40 inches from the inner end of the arm 17 where the brackets 25,27 arelocated, and the joinder should preferably span a distance at leastabout 10 percent of the length of the tubular members. In theillustrated embodiment, the joinder is by spaced lines of weld 23a and23b, disposed top and bottom of the arm 17; however, bolts or otherattaching means could also be used at the same locations. Obviously, thetop and bottom weld lines could be continuous, but such additionalstrength is not deemed necessary.

The righthand bracket 25 and the lefthand bracket 27 are suitablyattached, as by welding, to the unconnected inner ends of the tubularmembers 19,21, and they serve to attach or mount the cantilever arm 17on the standard. The brackets 25,27 extend slightly above and to agreater distance below the upper and lower surface of the tubularmembers 19 and 21 and thereby provide an extended surface to abut thesurface of the front wall 39 of the standard 15. The bracket 25 has apair of parallel flanges SI and 53 interconnected by a perpendicular web55, thus having the general shape of a U. The bracket 27 has similarfront and rear flanges 57,59 interconnected by aweb 61. A stud or lug 63proportioned to fit into the apertures 49 in the standard extendsforward from the rear flange 53 of the righthand bracket 25. In theillustrated embodiment, the lug 63 is punched from the rear flange 53.To locate the cantilever arm 17 at the desired horizontal level on thestandard, the stud 63 is aligned with the appropriate aperture 49, andthen mounting is carried out as described hereinafter.

Decking supports are provided on both ends of the cantilever arm 17. Atthe outer end of the arm, there is a single support 65 having supportsurfaces 65a located on both sides of the arm 17 andan upper abutment65b. On the inner ends of the tubular members 19 and 21, there areaffixed a righthand support 67 and a lefthand support 69. The righthandsupport 67 has a lower 67a andan upper 67b support surface; the leftsupport 69 is correspondingly formed to have lower 69a and upper 65bsupport surfaces. The inner rear corner of the upper shelf support 67b(see FIG. 4) is both the upper and lower edges of the diagonal flanges67c and 69c. Additional welding is generally provided between the upperportion of the supports 67,69'and the sidewalls of the elongated tubes19,2]. Thisbracing strengthens the interconnection between the elongatedtubes 19,21 and the brackets 25,27 and assists in the transfer of thesupported load from the cantilevered arms 17 to the vertical standardvia the brackets.

To attach the arm 17 to the vertical standard 15, the bracket-carryingends of the resilient tubular members 19,21 are spread apart to an opencondition. As shown stepwise in FIGS. 4 and 5, the righthand andlefthand brackets 25 and 27 can be separated sufficiently so that theywill move into a partially circumscribing position about the frontchannel portion 33 of the vertical standard. As soon as the spreadingforce on the elongated members 19,21 is released, the brackets 25,27will snap into a closed position about the front channel portion ture 49in the right rear reentrant surface 45 of the slightly cutoff to provideclearance, as described later in detail.

These support surfaces are designed to provide support for shelvingmaterial, such as wooden planks or decking. A storage rack installationwill generally have a number of aligned vertical standards 15 eachhaving horizontal arms 17 mounted at the same vertical levels. The frontshelf support surfaces 65a correspond in vertical level with the rearshelf support surface 67a and may be used to support stringers or askeleton deck frame extending between adjacent cantilever arms 17, whichin turn will support horizontal shelving as a part of the rackstructure. Suchstringers or frames would usually have an upper-surfacethat would be flush with the upper surface of the cantilever arm 17 andthe support surfaces 67b and 69b so that decking can provide acontinuous flat surface extending for a substantial distance. When suchan arrangement is used, the upstanding abutments 65b are used to preventsuch decking from shifting forward.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is noted that when the cantilever arm 17 isattached to the vertical standard 15 and is unloaded, the outer end ofthe arm lies slightly vertically above the inner end of the arm which isattached to the standard. This slight angle of slope compensates for thedeflection the arm will undergo so that it will be in horizontalalignment when fully loaded, and in the illustrated embodiment, a %-inchrise is provided for each 12 inches of length.

The decking supports 67 and 69 double as braces at the points ofinterconnection between the elongated members 19,21 and their respectivebrackets 25,27. The inner ends of the elongated members are suitablyaffixed perpendicularly to the front flanges 51,57 of the brackets, asby welding. To brace this connection, the supports 67 and 69 areprovided with flanges 67c and 690 which underlie the respectiveelongated members 19,21 and extend diagonally from points on theundersurface of the members to a location near the lower end of thebracket front flanges 51,57. The supports 67 and 69 are appropriatelywelded to the elongated members 19,21 and to the brackets 25,27, as forexample along standard and holds the cantilever arm 17 in place evenwhen there is no load on the arm. When a load is placed on thecantilever arm 17, a moment force in a vertical plane is imparted to thebrackets 25, 27 which presses the lower portion of the interior surfacesof the bracket front flanges 51,57 against the front wall 39 of thestandard and presses the upper portions of the rear flanges 53,59against the rear-facing surfaces of the re-entrant walls 45,47 of thestandard adjacent which they lie. The forces thus developed betweenthese surfaces and the engagement of the lug 63 in the aperture 49prevent I relative vertical movement and support the cantilever arm 17in position at the desired vertical height on the standard 15.

The interengagement of the brackets 25,27 and the standard 15 areconveniently availed of to spread the inner ends of the elongated tubes19,21 sufficiently horizontally apart to permit attachment. Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, the cantilever arm' 17 is initially located at thedesired vertical level on the standard 15 but disposed at an anglecounterclockwise from the loadbearing position it will ultimatelyassume. The lug 63 is loosely engaged in the appropriate aperture 49.The arm 17 is then rotated clockwise, generally pivoting about the lug63 and the sideedge of the flange 53, causing first the corner of shelfsupport 69b, and subsequently the vertical side edge of the flange 59 ofthe bracket 27, to bear against the front wall 39 of the standard. Thecontinued clockwise rotational movement of the cantilever arm 17 causesthe edge .of the bracket front flange 59 to slide around the frontlefthand edge of the standard 15 onto the sidewall 43 (as depicted inFIG. 5), forcing the inner ends of elongated tube 19,21 to which thebrackets 25 and 27 are attached to be spread apart.

More particularly, the force acting againstcomer of support flange 69bis substantial (because of the leverage provided by the length of thearm 17), and the support 69 and the tube 21 to which it is welded iscaused to move horizontally away from bracket 25. The corner slidesalong the front wall 39, spreading the brackets and the elongatedmembers 19,21 until the comer of the support 69b projects beyond thefront surface 39 of the standard, at which time the edge of bracket rearflange 59 contacts the front surface 43. The vertical edge of bracketrear flange 59 slides along the front surface 39 until it passes thelefthand edge, as depicted in FIG. 5, and then it slides along sidewall43 until it reaches the rear edge thereof, at which time the bracket 27snaps into place with the flange 59 lying adjacent the rear surface 47of the standard. When the bracket 27 snaps into the closed condition,the attachment of the arm 17 is complete. The cantilever arm 17 can beremoved from the standard by inserting a simple tool between the innerportions of the elongated members 19,21 andusing it to spread themembers apart while rotating thecantilever arm in a counterclockwisedirection.

From this description, it may be seen that the present.

invention provides an improved cantilever rack structure which providesversatile shelving support and which is capable of simple and rapidassembly and disassembly. The structure requires no loose parts for theattachment of the arms and thereby facilitates efficien erection andsubsequent adjustment.

Depicted in FIG. 6 is an alternative embodiment that might be employedas a part of a rack structure utilizing this general concept. FlG. 6illustrates a vertical standard 101 and a cantilever arm 103 which areshown as a part of an exploded perspective view. The vertical standard101 is a tubular structure of generally rectangular cross section havingfour walls which are termed, for purposes of description, a front wall105, a rear wall 107 and a pair of sidewalls 109 and 111. The attachmentof the cantilever arm 103 to the standard 101 is carried out via theprovision of rows of rectangular apertures 113 disposed in the sidewalls109 and 111. The apertures 113 in each row are spaced vertically apart auniform distance, and each of the rows is located a uniform distancefrom either the front wall 105 or the rear wall 107.

The cantilever arm 103 includes a pair of elongated rectangular tubes115 and 117 which are welded together near the outer ends thereof inprecisely the same manner as the tubes 19 and 21 illustrated in FIG. 1.A righthand supporting bracket 119 and a lefthand supporting bracket 121are respectively welded to the inner ends of the elongated tubes 115 and117. The righthand bracket 119 has a front flange 123, a side flange 125that is generally perpendicular thereto and a series of re-entrant lugs127 which extend generally transverse to the side flange 125. The lugs127 are proportioned and are spaced uniform distances apart so as to bereceived by the rectangular apertures 113 disposed in the sidewall 109of the standard 101. The lefthand bracket 121 is similarly constructedhaving a front flange 129 and a substantially perpendicular side flange131 which carries a plurality of re-entrant lugs 133 along its rearvertical edge, which lugs are proportioned and spaced to be received bythe apertures 113 in the sidewall 111.

Accordingly, when it is desired to attach the cantilever arm 103 to thestandard 101, one set of the lugs, for example, the lugs 133, are placedin registration with the apertures 113 in the sidewall 11 1. Thecantilever arm 103 is then rotated counterclockwise so that the verticaledges of the three lugs 127 slide along the surface of the front wall105 of the standard. After the lugs 127 pass the side edge, furtherrotation of the cantilever arm 103 causes them to slide rearward alongthe sidewall 109 until they reach the apertures 113, at which time theywill snap into place, thus completing attachment of the cantilever arm103 to the standard When the cantilever arm 103 .is loaded, the load islower portions of the front flanges 123 and 129 to be pressed againstthe front wall 105 of the standard and the uppermost of the re-entrantlugs 127,133 to bear against the corresponding edges of the apertures113. Suitable supports (not shown) may be used to brace the connectionbetween the tubes 115,117 and the brackets 119,121 and to also providesurfaces upon which decking can be supported.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed, it should be apparent that various modifications may be madethereto without departing from the scope of the invention which isdefined by the claims appended hereinafter. For example, in thestructure shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, instead of disposing the lug 63 inthe rear flange 53 of the bracket, a lug may be disposed in the sideflange 55 of the bracket 25 with the apertures 49 then beingappropriately located in the sidewall 41 of the standard. Similarly, anadditional lug could be located in the side flange 61 of the bracket 27with apertures being similarly provided in the adjacent sidewall 43 ofthe standard. By providing lugs in both brackets, it would then bepossible to attach the cantilever arm 17 to the standard 15 by beginningfrom either side and rotating the arm appropriately; in which instance,the comer of the support flange 69b (see FIG. 4) would be cut offsimilar to the flange 67b to provide clearance when the cantilever armis installed from the side opposite to that shown in FIG. 4. 1

Various of the features of the invention are set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cantilever storage rack structure comprising an elongated verticalstandard having a front surface, a pair of side surfaces extendingrearward from said front surface and a re-entrant surface extendinginward from the rear end of each of said side surfaces, and a cantileversupport arm having an inner end for attachment to said standard so thatit extends from said front surface thereof and an outer end that will bespaced from'said standard, which arm includes a pair of elongatedgenerally horizontal tubular members and means joining said elongatedmembers together at at least spaced points generally adjacent said outerend of said support arm and thereby causing said elongated members tonormally lie in contiguous relationship at said inner end of saidsupport arm, and which support arm also includes a bracket affixed tothe inner-end of each of said elongated tubular members for attachingsaid support arm to said standard, said brackets each having a firstflange portion for abutting said front surface ,of said standard whenattached thereto, a second portion extending rearward from said firstflange and a re-entrant flange element extending from said secondbracket portion in the same direction as said first flange and generallyabutting said re-entrant flange of said standard, said elongated membersbeing unconnected to each other for a substantial distance adjacent theinner end of said support arm and the free edges of said re-entrantflange elements being so spaced apart that, when one said flange elementis located in contact with one said reentrant surface of said standardand said cantilever arm is rotated, said tubular members are resilientlyspread apart as a result of said rotation to an open condition andthereafter snap back together in partially circumscribing relationshipabout said standard at a location intermediate its upper and lower ends,said support arm tubular members even when loaded remaining in saidsnapped together condition without additional attachment.

2. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said standard and atleast one of said brackets are provided with intcrengaging means, saidinterengaging means preventing downward movement of said support armwhen attached to said standard.

3. A structure in accordance with claim 2 wherein said interengagingmeans includes an aperture anda protuberance, said protuberance beingadapted to be received in said aperture.

4. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said standard has apair of side surfaces which extend rearward from said front surfacewhich side surfaces of 5. A structure in accordance with claim 1 whereinsaid re-entrant surfaces are substantially parallel to said frontsurface of said standard and wherein said first flange portion and saidre-entrant flange of said bracket are likewise substantially parallel. v

6. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said elongated membersare unconnected for a distance from the midpoint to the inner end ofsaid support arm.

eral outline of an I.

1. A cantilever storage rack structure comprising an elongated vertical standard having a front surface, a pair of side surfaces extending rearward from said front surface and a re-entrant surface extending inward from the rear end of each of said side surfaces, and a cantilever support arm having an inner end for attachment to said standard so that it extends from said front surface thereof and an outer end that will be spaced from said standard, which arm includes a pair of elongated generally horizontal tubular members and means joining said elongated members together at at least spaced points generally adjacent said outer end of said support arm and thereby causing said elongated members to normally lie in contiguous relationship at said inner end of said support arm, and which support arm also includes a bracket affixed to the inner end of each of said elongated tubular members for attaching said support arm to said standard, said brackets each having a first flange portion for abutting said front surface of said standard when attached thereto, a second portion extending rearward from said first flange and a re-entrant flange element extending from said second bracket portion in the same direction as said first flange and generally abutting said re-entrant flange of said standard, said elongated members being unconnected to each other for a substantial distance adjacent the inner end of said support arm and the free edges of said re-entrant flange elements being so spaced apart that, when one said flange element is located in contact with one said re-entrant surface of said standard and said cantilever arm is rotated, said tubular members are resiliently spread apart as a result of said rotation to an open condition and thereafter snap back together in partially circumscribing relationship about said standard at a location intermediate its upper and lower ends, said support arm tubular members even when loaded remaining in said snapped together condition without additional attachment.
 2. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said standard and at least one of said brackets are provided with interengaging means, said interengaging means preventing downward movement of said support arm when attached to said standard.
 3. A structure in accordance with claim 2 wherein said interengaging means includes an aperture and a protuberance, said protuberance being adapted to be received in said aperture.
 4. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said standard has a pair of side surfaces which extend rearward from said front surface which side surfaces of said standard are provided with apertures and wherein said reentrant means on said bracket comprises lugs which are received by said apertures.
 5. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said re-entrant surfaces are substantially parallel to said front surface of said standard and wherein said first flange portion and said re-entrant flange of said bracket are likewise substantially parallel.
 6. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said elongated members are unconnected for a distance from the midpoint to the inner end of said support arm.
 7. A structure in accordance with claim 6 wherein said points of joinder of said elongated members span a distance at least equal to about 10 percent of the length of said elongated members.
 8. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said arm includes brace means near the inner end thereof which extends diagonally downward from each of said elongated members to said bracket and also provides a support surface to retain horizontal decking.
 9. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said standard has the cross sectional shape of the general outline of an ''''I.'''' 